The baseball experts over at ESPN announced their annual Top 100 list which features players they perceive as the best of the best across all of Major League Baseball. If you're a Braves fan you're going to be very happy about this list.
We ranked the Top 100 players in baseball.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 11, 2024
If you like where someone is ranked, you're welcome.
If you don't, it wasn't me.https://t.co/WNFdXfEyZV
#1 Ronald Acuña Jr.
Topping the list was none other than the Braves star right fielder, Ronald Acuña Jr. Fresh off of winning the NL MVP after registering an absurd 40-70 season, the first of its kind, all eyes are on Ronald and what he could do in 2024. It is safe to say even analysts are excited to see what this man is truly capable of.
In 2023, Ronald was entering his age 25 season, with all eyes on him as he returned from a disappointing campaign in 2022 which saw him play a bit more cautiously due to the knee still recovering. All he did was slash .337/.416/.596, hit 41 home runs, steal 73 bases, and register a 170 wRC+ while watching his strikeout rate plummet from 23.6% to 11.4%. Ronald stopped swinging at balls and striking out while leading a plethora of leaderboards in expected hitting metrics.
While Ronald has missed a good chunk of Spring Training, following a very busy off-season, the eyes of baseball fans everywhere in the world are locked on him to see what's next. ESPN references the first potential 50-50 season in MLB history and with even more rules to help emphasize running (fielders can't block the bases with their body) this seems inevitable. This depends on his health, of course. I speak for baseball fans everywhere when I say - I can't wait to see what Ronald does this year, now two full years removed from his ACL surgery.
#12 Matt Olson
Matt Olson is entering his age 29 season and is listed as the 12th-best player. Olson just completed a remarkable 2023 campaign which saw him hit .283/.389/.604 fueled by 54 homers and a 160 wRC+, the highest marks of his career. Matt has typically had an up-and-down career, meaning he's been great one year and has an off year the next.
There's reason to believe this may not be the case during the upcoming 2024 season because his advanced metrics and stats from 2023 show a player continuing to evolve. Will he reclaim the magic that he had in 2023? That remains to be seen - but there's absolutely no doubt Matt deserves to be on this list, now entering his third full season with the Braves. With this potent lineup, we may be in for a magical 2024.